70 degree days..? Crisp mornings..? A chilled breeze..? Christmas decorations in the department stores..?!? Yes, I agree, I think we are seeing the first real signs of Fall! Nobody cherishes this season like the enthusiastic gardeners of our local area. We're all craving that Autumn color palette in our gardens and flower beds. Let me tell you what we have going on at the greenhouse this week...

Come on, color!

First, all those mums you've been watching us baby are just starting to pop into color! The growing schedule of our mums puts them into bud by the 2nd-3rd week in September, to ensure lasting color into October. We've got them available in 6", 8" and 12" sizes this year. You can call in or order online to reserve your colors and sizes for pick-up or delivery!

Wee little pansies

Next up are the pansies! These guys are still fairly young, but don't be fooled, they can grow pretty quickly! These 4 packs were the last to be planted behind our 4" and 6" pansies, but all should be ready for retail in a few weeks. Pansies are a great option for color this time of year, as they continue blooming all winter long - that's right, even after the piles of snow on top of them melt!

Kale <3

When I think of the Fall landscape, I always think contrast and texture. Lots of yellows and oranges contrast with the deep purples and blues. And the texture composition among the produce, flowers and vegetables is AMAZING! If you've got your pumpkins sitting on the porch and your pansies down the sidewalk, why not spice things up with some curly, ornamental kale or cabbage?? Or a handsome straw bale off to the side? You can even mix all the plants in the same container or in a ring around the mailbox! Always an option to add in some hardy succulents to fill in the ground cover or spill over the edge. There's no right or wrong - be inspired and get creative!

Drum roll please... the majestic poinsettias!

Last but not least, the poinsettias are steadily making progress too! Since the mums and pansies love to be outside this time of year, the poinsettias pretty much get the royal treatment inside. They look mighty snug now, but later this week, we'll pinch off the top leaves to promote branching and then we'll space them further apart. These babies truly do like to be pampered. Did you know if the sunlight or the warmth is too one-sided in the greenhouse, the poinsettia will move all of its roots to that side of the pot and therefore start to grow unevenly? They also do not like overhead watering once they begin to branch out. Because of these particularities, Mark and Marie keep close watch on this crop more than any other!

Alrighty, let's talk CONSTRUCTION!

Before we move into some of the details, you should know a couple things:

We will not be closing or going out of business.

We will be in our existing building until December 31, 2017. We will move into our new building on January 1, 2018.*

*This is a recent change from our original move-out date of 9/30/17.

We are excited to announce that we will continue to be in our building until December 31, 2017! Since our move was going to interrupt our Fall planting season and Pumpkin Patch, we have decided to stay in the existing structure through year end. That means, we will have a full Fall and Christmas season in our usual spot. This means Fall trees and shrubs, veggies, PUMPKIN PATCH, and Christmas trees will all still be happening! Our pumpkin patch will be slightly modified due to construction, but we will kick off the first weekend on October 7!

The structure of our new building will be steel framed with 2 attached greenhouses. Big news this week, was the final cut-out of the building was finalized and ordered to be delivered mid October!

Mom & dad just after the phone call to finalize delivery of the building

There's also a little bit of construction going on inside our production greenhouses. Mark decided to build his "retirement" office inside the production greenhouse instead of the new building. He's quite content just consulting the plants themselves for any questions he might need answered.

Farmer Mark

As they level the ground for the building pad, they're moving some of the topsoil to other areas to help improve the leveling of the road. Now that the dealership's parking lot is complete, these machines are doing lots of work on our back lot!

Thank you for continuing to support our family in your love for the outdoors. We hope our new location will continue to fill all of your gardening needs and bring you a little closer to nature. See you soon!